Name: Katya Bychkova
Age: 30
Location: NYC
Q: How/why did you get into blogging?
I started Style Sprinter a few years ago while I was working in corporate surroundings. Prior to that, I was managing a Russian-American newspaper here in New York and I always wrote in Russian. Perhaps Style Sprinter was born for two reasons: 1. I wanted to prove to myself that I could write in English as well as I can in Russian, and 2. I was just too bored wearing business casual five days a week.
I wanted to experiment with beauty and fashion without paying attention to the professional dress code. My personal style and beauty blog allowed me to do just that, and I became obsessed with it! As it turned out, my blog became much more than just my fashion diary. I can’t imagine how my life would be without it.
Q: What makes a successful fashion blog?
I always say: you are as good as your latest post. That’s why I appreciate bloggers who manage to be consistent in posting for many years while providing their readers with authentic content. In my opinion, a successful blog is one that has integrity and follows a selected style for many years.
Think about Cupcakes and Cashmere or Garance Doré. You’ll be able to recognize these girls’ photos from thousands of other blogs because they’re real and stick to what they believe in. Having said this, I believe that financial success in blogging is only a matter of time if you’re clear about your message.
Q: What is the #1 social media platform all fashion bloggers should be on right now?
I think many bloggers unfairly disregard Facebook. Yes, it might not be the latest hot social media platform, but it provides bloggers with a tremendous amount of information about their blog’s audience and readers’ interests. Not to mention that I personally don’t know anyone who is not on Facebook.
Q: What is your best advice for girls just starting out in the digital world?
Start listening to podcasts for inspiration. You’ll be surprised how many new tips and tricks you’ll be able to learn for free! Some of my favorite podcasts that I recommend starting with are Smart Passive Income by Pat Flynn and ProBlogger by Darren Rowse.
Q: What’s your biggest blogging mistake?
Not responding to people’s comments as soon as I receive them. I know how important it is for my readers to hear back from me as quickly as possible, but I often get distracted by other things and fail to reply ASAP. Recently, I started a new challenge of treating my comments as high-priority emails. This technique seems to be working already, so if you’re struggling with the same issues, give it a try too!
Q: Where do you see blogging going in the future?
It’s not going anywhere for sure, but it’s definitely changing its face. People finally got used to the fact that online personalities are influencing their offline lives and I believe this trend will continue growing.
Will bloggers leave their blogs and start writing only on social media? Perhaps not, because in a world where social media is controlled by major corporations, many bloggers prefer to have their own “piece of Internet” that they can fully control. Having said this, I do invest a lot of time and effort in my social media, but I consider my blog to be my major asset.
Speaking of social media Katya is on it all so if you get a moment check her out on Insta, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Bloglovin’.
What questions do you have for Katya? Tell her in the comments below and she’ll be sure to get back to you.
xx
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